So Xavi will leave Barcelona without leaving his mark, as there were not a few in the team who dreamed of a new Guardiola era. But they were denied...

The Catalans have already fallen behind in the championship race. They were knocked out of the cup by Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Bilbao in a shock game, while losing the Super Cup to Real Madrid in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. There remains, of course, the UEFA Champions League, where they have to face Napoli in the last 16, but there does not seem to be any belief that the team can reach the top European club competition.

Besides, the Spanish coach when asked about it, answered categorically that his decision is not going to change even if Barcelona wins the Champions League this year. After the match against Villarreal (14th overall), Xavi had a meeting, for about half an hour, with president Joan Laporta and other officials and then appeared at the press conference to announce his departure. His brother, who is also a member of the team's technical staff, and his wife were also in the room.

"Before you ask me the related questions, I want to announce that from June 30 I will not continue as coach of Barcelona. We discussed it with Joan Laporta and the sporting director. I think the club needs a dynamic change. Thinking about the club and the players, I think they will be freed up and calmer. And thinking as a club man, I think it's best to leave on June 30. I will give my best in the remaining four months, I think we can have a good season and I hope something changes. It is a situation that requires common sense and I have decided that on June 30th I will not continue as coach of Barca."

Xavi said that he feels freed now and stressed that he believes that the announcement of his retirement will free the players, but in the management of the club there seems to be a strong reflection and concern that it may end up working in reverse with the risk that the team will even worse afterwards. The players never blamed their manager, not even after the defeat by Villarreal.

"It's the players' responsibility," said Dutch midfielder Frankie De Jong. "What responsibility does the coach have if we don't play well?" said Brazilian stopper Ronald Araujo. "It was the worst 45 minutes of my career," said Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo.

Its defensive function

The biggest problem of the many facing Barcelona this season is their defensive function. The absence of injured goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has obviously cost, as youngster Inaki Peña who replaces him has conceded 31 goals in 15 games...

In total in 32 games in all competitions he has conceded 46 goals. She had conceded the same number last year in 53 games, a fact that shows that something is not working well in her defense this year. In the league, she has conceded 29 goals, one less than her negative record (30) in 2002-03, when she was in danger of being left out of Europe with Serb Radomir Andic succeeding Dutchman Louis van Gaal.

The previous time the "Blaugrana" conceded five goals as a home team in the league was on January 27, 1963 by Real Madrid, with a hat trick by Ferenc Puskas!

Furthermore, in the five major European leagues, Barcelona are the team with the worst passive in 2024 in all competitions having conceded 18 goals in 8 games ahead of Sevilla (13 goals in 6 games) and Frosinone (13 goals in 4 games) ).

And all this while in the last months Xavi had been left without support due to the changes made in the technical management of the club, with Deco taking over as sporting director and agent Jorge Mendes taking on the responsibility of bringing players.

“I don't want to be an obstacle for the club, I do always be a solution, never want to be a problem. I was a solution two years and three months ago, but now, I think with my heart and I think of the club, for which I want the best, the best is that I leave on June 30" Xavi also said explaining her decision of his departure acknowledging that he can no longer help.

In November 2021, when he was called to take over, when he felt ready to sit on the bench of the team he served as a player with terrible performances, it was the only solution as even then Barcelona were at a dead end. He knew expectations were high, with some envisioning a new Guardiola, although the circumstances, competitive and off-field, under which Xavi took over were completely different to the current Manchester City manager.

Xavi's Barcelona never found its identity, had disastrous performances in Europe and this new era that many were waiting for did not come.

In the remaining months, there is the UEFA Champions League to "save" his presence on the team's bench. Otherwise, he will leave without leaving his mark, he will simply be one of those who spent the last few years from the Barcelona bench.

On the other hand, the bad thing for the team is that they are now in a situation where they will have to try hard to lure first-line coaches with the experience required, or they will again have to experiment with someone new and... what happens.